WINNER: 2018 NNPA MERIT AWARDS: 3RD PLACE BES T COLUMN WRITING
WINNER: 2019 GENERAL EXCELLENCE, 3RD PLACE, COLUMN WRITING, 2ND PLACE
Insight News September 2, 2019 - September 8, 2019
Vol. 46 No. 35• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com
Half a block from two schools...
A BULLET & BROKEN GLASS
P H O T O A ND S T ORY PH OR Y B BYY H A RRY RRY CO OLLB BER E R T, JR. JR . ON 3
Page 2 • September 2, 2019 - September 8, 2019 • Insight News
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First Thursday Films
North High presents ‘Do the Right Thing’ th 30 anniversary edition
The 30th Anniversary Edition of Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing opens the 201920 season of First Thursday Films at North High at 7pm Thursday, September 5. North High is the alternate location for the series while the Capri is closed for construction this year
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The Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul, in partnership with the Capri Theater and the Minnesota Historical Society, opens the 2019-20 season of First Thursday Films with the 30th Anniversary Edition of Spike Lee’s “Do The Right Thing,” The showing takes place 7 p.m. Thursday (Sept. 5) at North Community High School, 1500 James Ave. N. in Minneapolis. North High serves as the alternate location for this film series while the Capri Theater is closed for expansion and renovation. Tickets to First Thursday Films are $5 and can be purchased in advance at
www.mspfilm.org or at the door the night of the show. “Do the Right Thing” is an absorbing tale of inner-city life that heats up with vivid images and unforgettable performances. The action takes place on a block in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn on the hottest day of the year – a scorching 24-hour period that changes the lives of its residents forever. Almost unanimous critical acclaim embraced this inventive and extraordinary film from Lee when it was first released in 1989. USA Today called it “1989’s best film.”
Following the showing, MSP Film’s Craig Laurence Rice leads a discussion on the film’s impact. The First Thursdays series continues in October with “Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am” on Oct. 3, with conversation leader Dr. Duchess Harris, “Marshall” on Nov. 7, “Amazing Grace” on Dec. 5 and “Love Them First: Lessons from Lucy Laney Elementary” on Jan. 2. First Thursday Films is part of Black Cinema: Under the Skin, a program of films exploring Black culture and experience.
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Insight News • September 2, 2019 - September 8, 2019 • Page 3
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WINNER: 2019 GENERAL EXCELLENCE, 3RD PLACE, COLUMN WRITING, 2ND PLACE
WINNER: 2018 NNPA MERIT AWARDS: 3RD PLACE BES T COLUMN WRITING
September 2, 2019 - September 8, 2019
Vol. 46 No. 35• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com
.45 caliber bullet on my desk By Harry Colbert, Jr. Managing Editor harry@insightnews.com I sit at my desk staring at a bullet. I can’t stop looking at it. I keep thinking of the almost infinite “what ifs” associated with the shiny .45 caliber cartridge. I look at the bullet and I stare intently, though the focus is blurred from the moisture that continues to accumulate and drip from my eyes. I’m almost in disbelief. There is a .45 caliber bullet sitting on my desk. This bullet has a story, but I only know part of it. The part I know, I don’t like at all. I guess at this point it’s a good idea to let you know how I’ve become intimately linked with this bullet. Well, it’s not a magic bullet, so it didn’t just all of a sudden appear on my desk … I brought it here. I had to. It’s my civic duty as a decent human being. You see, I had to bring the bullet to my desk because it was found on the street … in a pile of shattered glass just in front of our offices of Insight News on Bryant Avenue North in North Minneapolis. The bullet was found less than a half a block from two elementary schools and a block and a half from a middle school. I had to retrieve the bullet because it seems the Minneapolis police were unwilling … unbothered to remove it themselves. To them, it seems, it was no big deal. I know this because when the bullet was brought to my attention, I immediately did the responsible thing and called the police. I made the call at approximately 11:47 a.m. on
Rep. Michael Howard (DFL-Richfield)
Rep. Aisha Gomez (DFL-Minneapolis)
Reps. Howard, Gomez announce legislative effort to ban for-profit ICE detention centers
Harry Colbert, Jr.
A .45 caliber bullet sits in a napkin on the desk of Insight News managing editor, Harry Colbert, Jr. Aug. 26. I told dispatch that a live round was in the street in the middle of broken glass and
we were not touching the bullet to try and maintain the integrity of the crime scene. Afterall, I
myself, have reported on stories where bullets were found
BULLET 6
State Reps. Michael Howard (DFL-Richfield) and Aisha Gomez (DFL-Minneapolis) announced plans to introduce legislation next session banning for-profit ICE detention centers from operating in Minnesota. MPR News reported that a private prison company in Appleton is actively lobbying public officials to repurpose its facility as an immigrant detention center. “Profiting from the detention of immigrant families is immoral, wrong, and has no place in Minnesota,” said Howard. “The aggressive and expanding presence of ICE in my community and across the state is causing trauma for too many families and that will only worsen if we permit more cages to be built and operated by a for-prof-
it company. We need to say loud and clear – not in Minnesota.” “We should prevent private prison companies from making a profit by locking up moms, dads, and children in cages,” said Gomez. “We’ve all seen the cruel and inhumane treatment of families on our southern border, and we cannot allow it to spread to our own backyard.” This year, House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler (DFL-Golden Valley) authored legislation to ban private prisons from operating in Minnesota. Howard and Gomez said a ban on for-profit ICE detention centers is a natural extension of that legislation. In June 2019, Illinois became the first state to pass legislation banning forprofit ICE detention centers.
The whiteness of justice and the death of Jeffrey Epstein Culture and Education Editor
By Dr. Irma McClaurin Jeffrey Epstein has been headline news since his now definitive suicide on Aug. 10 at the Metropolitan Correc-
tional Center in New York. So, explain to me in plain English how the death of a convicted pedophile and sex trafficker like Jeffrey Epstein can bring about administrative prison reform whereas the deaths of Brown and Black people, convicted of far lesser crimes, hit a stone wall? The removal of the warden in the prison where Epstein chose to end his life rather than do the time is a misplaced use of the
Trump administration’s power. Epstein’s suicide is proof positive that our prison system is broken; but it is also evidence that when white people suffer, action is taken. There are now national conversations about how broken our prison systems are, but we already knew that. The warden’s removal for Epstein’s suicide is a bitter pill to swallow and further unimpeachable proof of the whiteness of justice in America.
Jeffrey Epstein
How about removing those wardens running America’s prison industrial complex across the country where Brown and Black prisoners suffer unexplained brutality from guards, are denied reasonable access to medical and mental health care, and commit suicide more often than we want to admit? A recent case-in-point is the suicide of Jean Carlos Jimenez-Joseph, an
EPSTEIN 6
Shanene Herbert, Jamil Jackson named Virginia McKnight Binger Unsung Heroes The McKnight Foundation and the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN) have selected Shanene Herbert and Jamil Jackson, both of North Minneapolis, as this year’s Virginia McKnight Binger Unsung Hero Award recipients. This award recognizes four Minnesotans who have made a significant impact in the state, yet have remained unrecognized or, “unsung,” in their commitment to making Minnesota a better place for all. The 2019 awardees will each receive a cash prize of $10,000 from the McKnight Foundation and MCN and will also be recognized at the 2019 MCN Annual Conference on Oct. 24 in Rochester at the Mayo Civic Center. Since 1985, the McKnight Foundation has recognized Minnesotans who have improved the quality of life for current and future generations with the Virginia McKnight Binger Awards in Human Service. In 2015, MCN partnered with McKnight to coordinate
Jamil Jackson
Shanene Herbert and present the first-ever Unsung Hero Awards, honoring individuals who were doing life-changing work in communities across Minnesota with little or no recognition. “We are extremely thrilled to be partnering with the McKnight Foundation to
Business
Wells Fargo announces $1 billion affordable housing commitment
PAGE 4
celebrate and recognize the incredible work of these award recipients,” said Jon Pratt, executive director of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. “It was clear throughout the nomination process how much they were respected, not just by their nomi-
nators, but by the communities they have personally touched. What an inspiration they are to so many others who do impactful yet often unrecognized work in Minnesota and beyond.” Herbert, a native New Yorker now living in North Minneapolis and a mother of two,
Business
Wells Fargo donates additional $1 million for small business growth in Minnesota
PAGE 4
has worked with young people of color and their parents in educational settings across the Twin Cities, navigating pathways to success and slowly chip away at the cradle to prison pipeline. Herbert has launched a number of programs and initiatives, including Heal Sis, a
grassroots initiative that brings women together to explore their past, present, future experiences and their trauma around topics that affect their lives. Jackson has dedicated his life for improving the lives of under-resourced teens in North Minneapolis. Through basketball, he created a leadership development program that engages over 200 boys each week, focusing on college-readiness and their future careers. From this program, Jackson launched C.E.O. (Change Equals Opportunity), which brings in community leaders to mentor and guide the youth in his program with a focus on positive black leaders and entrepreneurship. Outside of this work, Jackson started his own construction and lawn maintenance business where he trains and employs youth felons and students at risk for gang involvement. Also selected were Shirley Nordrum of Cass Lake and Patti Reibold of Red Wing.
Aesthetics
‘Circus Abyssinia: Ethiopian Dreams’
PAGE 8
Page 4 • September 2, 2019 - September 8, 2019 • Insight News
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Wells Fargo announces $1 billion affordable housing commitment By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia The lack of aordable housing has caught the attention of Wells Fargo and the banking giant has unveiled an ambitious plan to tackle the problem. Candy Moore, the senior vice president and manager of Wells Fargo’s Community Relations and Southeast Community Development, told NNPA Newswire that the company will invest $1 billion over the next ďŹ ve years from its business and foundation to help make housing more aordable. “We will address three key issues in underserved communities that have been plagued by the lack of aordable housing – housing aordability, ďŹ nancial health and small business growth,â€? said Moore. “Charitable giving has always been a part of our history. And, we feel we should be doing even more to address the systematic changes in aordable housing and uncover new ways to increase the availability and sustainability of aordable housing.â€? Moore noted that if one took the available aordable housing units in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston and Atlanta, it would still fall far short of meeting current housing demands. “We want to continue to help the underserved reach their full potential with the support we’re offering through our philanthropic eorts,â€? said Moore. The $1 billion pledge is part of a larger eort for the bank to overhaul its philan-
Cynthia Eaglin and Rufaro Jenkins in front of their former home at Parkway Overlook Apartments in Washington, D.C. when the development closed in 2008. As a result of the eorts of two former residents who fought hard for the community, working together with Wells Fargo and the District of Columbia, the apartments are being redeveloped a decade later. “I feel like a mother who watched her troubled child in school ďŹ nally graduate from high school,â€? said Rufaro Jenkins in the presentation video, one of the residents who is now a homeowner. “I used to tell them in meetings that Parkway Overlook was one of my children. Mothers protect their children, and I was going to protect Parkway Overlook.â€? After a 10-year pro-
thropic strategy, Moore said. As part of their commitment, Wells Fargo aims to donate 2 percent of its after-tax profits to corporate philanthropy concentrating on housing aordability, small business growth and ďŹ nancial health. During a June presentation to the NNPA’s member publishers, Moore shared a video that underscored the importance of Wells Fargo’s new initiative and why it’s vital to people of color and others in underserved communities. The video presentation highlighted the Parkway Overlook Apartments in Washington, D.C., whose residents were unexpectedly forced to relocate
cess to secure approval and funding to rebuild the community, the renovations to Parkway Overlook are currently underway, and construction is expected to be completed this year, providing 220 apartments of aordable housing for families in Ward 8, which is considered one of D.C.’s poorest areas. While Jenkins and former resident and fellow Parkway Overlook Tenants Association member Cynthia Eaglin are happy about the redevelopment, it’s been a long journey, they said in the video. The two have worked with Washington Interfaith Network – or WIN, a grassroots organization that brings citizens and residents
together to develop solutions for communities — in this case, coming up with a strategy, bringing former residents together, and meeting with local leaders, according to the video. The biggest hurdle, though, was getting funding to redevelop Parkway Overlook, said Jennifer Knox, lead organizer for WIN. In 2014, Mayor Muriel Bowser, then chairwoman of the city council’s Committee on Economic Development, brokered a deal with the D.C. Housing Finance Agency and District of Columbia Housing Authority to take control of the property and ďŹ nish the renovations, said Merrick Malone, director of
the OďŹƒce of Capital Programs for the District of Columbia Housing Authority. Ultimately, Wells Fargo provided the construction loan and equity for the project development, D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development provided $20.1 million in ďŹ nancing toward the project, and the D.C. Housing Finance Agency provided bond ďŹ nancing in the amount of about $38 million and low-income housing tax credits. “We will need to work with you,â€? Moore told NNPA publishers. “We will need to work with civic leaders, local governments, and residents to address the full spectrum of housing aordability.â€?
Wells Fargo donates additional $1 million for small business growth in Minnesota Diverse Community Capital program funds will help remove barriers and put more small businesses on a path to financial success
W
ells Fargo announced another boost to Minnesota diverse small businesses recently with $1 million in grants from its Diverse Community Capital program, which oers capital and technical assistance to minority-owned small businesses through Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). To date, the program has generated more than 103,000 jobs across the U.S. “Small businesses are experiencing a time of rapid growth, but entrepreneurs are still struggling to reach their full potential,â€? said Jon R. Campbell, President of the Wells Fargo Foundation. “By working with CDFIs, we can fund eorts on the ground that remove barriers, expand highly personalized coaching and put more small businesses on a path to succeed, especially in underserved communities. Every community needs small businesses to create jobs and ďŹ nancial stability.â€? As part of its new philanthropic strategy announced in June, Wells Fargo is focusing on three societal challenges: housing aordability, small business growth and ďŹ nancial health. Wells Fargo’s Diverse Community Capital (DCC) program is a critical component of the small business strategy and supports business owners who are African-American, Hispanic, American Indian/PaciďŹ c Islander, Asian-American, women, veterans, LGBTQ, people with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups.
The newest Minnesota DCC grantees, funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation, are: African Development Center, Minneapolis ($500,000): to expand loans and entrepreneurial training to more African immigrants and refugees in a new location in St. Cloud. Propel NonproďŹ ts, Minneapolis ($500,000): to deploy patient capital with three-to-ďŹ veyear loans and technical assistance for diverse nonproďŹ ts in the Twin Cities metro area, working to stabilize organizations serving the community. “African Development Center would like to express our sincere thanks and appreciation for Wells Fargo’s continued support of our work with entrepreneurs that strengthens our communities,â€? said Nasibu Sareva, Executive Director of African Development Center of Minnesota. “This grant will enable us to expand our presence in St. Cloud with sta who will work with the large and growing African immigrant community, providing lending and technical assistance as they start and expand businesses.â€? “This investment will allow us to provide more capital and support to mission-driven organizations,â€? said Kate Barr, President & CEO of Propel NonproďŹ ts. “Diverse nonproďŹ ts in particular play a critical role in stabilizing and strengthening the communities they work
Jon Campbell in and with. Working capital loans paired with technical assistance will provide nonproďŹ ts exibility as they face change.â€? Launched in 2015, the Wells Fargo Works For Small BusinessÂŽ: Diverse Community Capital program is a collaboration with Opportunity Finance Network (OFN).
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According to OFN’s latest report, DCC awardees have already made more than 16,000 loans to diverse small business owners resulting in $785 million in lending across 37 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. In addition, grant funding has provided for more than 322,000 hours of development services for over 49,000 diverse entrepreneurs. Wells Fargo is on track to invest more than $175 million in diverse small business growth through 2020. About Wells Fargo Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) provides banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial ďŹ nance, through 7,600 locations, more than 13,000 ATMs, and the internet (wellsfargo.com). With approximately 263,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. With its corporate philanthropy, Wells Fargo aims to pave a path to stability and ďŹ nancial success for underserved communities by focusing on
housing aordability, small business growth, and ďŹ nancial health, among other local community needs. In 2018, Wells Fargo donated $444 million to nearly 11,000 nonproďŹ ts. For 10 consecutive years, Wells Fargo has held the honor of No. 1 in workplace giving by United Way Worldwide. Wells Fargo team members also actively support communities by donating more than 2 million hours of volunteer time in the last year. News, insights and more information on the company’s overall corporate responsibility are available at Wells Fargo Stories and www. wellsfargo.com/impact. About African Development Center The African Development Center grows businesses, builds wealth and increases reinvestment in the African communities of Minnesota. Through workshops and consultations on ďŹ nancial literacy, business development and home ownership, ADC provides culturally competent services to Minnesota’s African community. ADC is a leader in micro lending to small businesses, outperforming even
the largest banking institutions in the state of Minnesota. Since 2004, ADC has been recognized multiple times as the number one small business lender in the city of Minneapolis. With the help of eight dedicated full-time employees, an Executive & Finance Committee and a Board of Trustees, ADC provides services in six languages to communities throughout Minnesota. About Propel NonproďŹ ts Propel NonproďŹ ts fuels the impact and eectiveness of nonproďŹ ts with guidance, expertise, and capital. As a federally certiďŹ ed Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), Propel NonproďŹ ts offers loans to nonproďŹ t organizations in Minnesota and adjacent communities to expand programs and services, bridge cash ow gaps, and purchase and renovate buildings. Additionally, the organization works with nonproďŹ ts in all ďŹ elds of service by providing training, resources, and technical assistance to help organizations address unexpected events, ďŹ nance new opportunities, and realize strategic goals.
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Epstein From 3 Afro-Panamanian, who committed suicide while in ICE custody. The Aug. 22, CBS News headline read “Ice Review found failures in care of mentally ill detainee who died by suicide.” In such cases, where Brown and Black prisoners commit suicide, not one warden has been removed, and not one guard punished. Where is the justice in that for Brown and Black people? To place a higher value on the life of the lowest of low white man who satisfied his sexual predilection by preying on innocent (mostly white) girls is despicable. But would he have even been convicted if his victims had been majority Brown and Black girls? I think not. But that is a different commentary. I believe had his victims been non-white, they would have been smeared in the media, and the value of their deaths diminished. Very possibly, the whiteness of justice would have rewarded Epstein as a white man and spoke about him in glowing
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terms of being an entrepreneur – even if somewhat shady. Fortunate for the world, but unfortunate for them, Epstein’s victims were white, and true to form, the world believes white women. And so he was convicted (though he served little time the first go-‘round), and his victims are suing his estate, and will in all probability win. America protects its white women. Research has shown, however, that Brown and Black women who claim sexual assault are generally not believed by white policemen, and even by Brown and Black policemen. Similar to slavery, Black women are believed, without any proof, to have instigated our own assaults, whereas white women, even when they lie – e.g., Emmitt Till, the Scottsboro Boys – are always believed. And so, Jeffrey Epstein goes to jail for assaulting white women. But he is not placed in a jail with the abhorrent conditions that young Brown and Black men convicted of lesser crime must endure. And when it appeared that he couldn’t “white” his way out of the consequences for his crimi-
Bullet From 3
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to have had both DNA and fingerprints on them. Dispatch asked for my name, phone number, address of the property and even which direction of the street it was on. I obliged by offering all the details of which she asked. She asked would I be at the location for another 30 minutes or so, and I said I would, and she said an officer would make contact with me shortly. This is important, so I’ll circle back to this in a bit. The location of the bullet
nal sexual misdeeds, Epstein chose to take the easy out – suicide. Ironically, even in death, Epstein’s whiteness has
Associate Editor Afrodescendientes Carmen Robles
gratification deserves to be punished. What troubles me is that when white people commit the most heinous of crimes, they are still shielded from retribution by their whiteness, whereas when Brown and Black people commit silly crimes like selling cigarettes on the street, their vio-
prison system is being shaken up by the death of a man who only deserved our utmost contempt. We must ask ourselves what it means when the death of the most contemptible white man is more highly valued than the questionable deaths of Brown and Black people – regardless of whether they are good citizens
was next to recent construction, so I grabbed a leftover hazard sign – you know the ones with the big blinking yellow light … they’re quite visible (again, I’ll get back to this too) … and placed it over the shattered glass and live .45 caliber bullet, and I went inside awaiting a police call. That call never came. At close to 4:40 p.m., still concerned about the bullet in the street, I looked outside to see the hazard sign undisturbed still sitting over the glass and the bullet. I was leaving for the day, but there was no way I was going to let the bullet stay behind … stay for some kid to pick up, show it off to his or her
friends … do like many kids do … like I as a kid did … try to fire the bullet with a hammer and nail, vice grips or some other form of “zip gun,” which is what kids did in my neighborhood growing up. Heaven forbid some child pick up the bullet, take it to school to show off, get suspended, expelled and unjustly exposed to the criminal injustice system all because of a shiny “toy” found in the streets. So, with a napkin, I picked up the bullet and took to Facebook to express my anguish to the public. A day later and here I am staring at this bullet, thankful that I’m the one looking at it instead of some emergency room doctor … or coroner. I’m a journalist, so I do what comes natural … I question. I called the Minneapolis Police Department spokesman, John Elder, to ask for official comment and to get the average response times for calls either by zip code or precinct. I’m in the troubled Fourth Precinct … home to the killers of unarmed Jamar Clark and home to the racist Christmas Tree in its lobby decorated with New-
port cigarettes, Popeye’s cups, malt liquor cans and yellow crime scene tape. I also asked for a log of all officers on duty in the precinct and for a log of all calls between 11:40 a.m. Aug. 26 and 5 p.m. Aug. 26. I was told the request for information would have to be made as a data request, which I promptly requested online. But the “official comment” that I requested struck me as a bit odd. “Mr. Colbert. “Our squad did respond when they were available to. “The call came in at 11:56 (a.m.) and the squad arrived at 4:02 (p.m.). They tried to make contact and were unable to locate the property nor anyone at the address,” is what was sent as the official response. Remember that part earlier I said I’d get back to? Well, I’m back to it. Again, I was told by dispatch that I’d get a call within 30 minutes but 4:02 p.m. is four hours and six minutes from the time they report getting the call. A whole lot can happen
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Receptionist Lue B. Lampley Intern Kelvin Kuria Contributing Writers Maya Beecham Nadvia Davis Fred Easter Abeni Hill Timothy Houston Michelle Mitchum Inell Rosario Latisha Townsend Artika Tyner Toki Wright Photography David Bradley V. Rivera Garcia Uchechukwu Iroegbu Rebecca Rabb Artist Donald Walker Contact Us: Insight News, Inc. Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Ave. N. Minneapolis., MN 55411 Ph.: (612) 588-1313 Fax: (612) 588-2031 Member: Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium (MMMC), Midwest Black Publishers Coalition, Inc. (MBPCI), National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Postmaster: Send address changes to McFarlane Media Interests, Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Avenue North, Minneapolis,
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lent deaths are deemed “justifiable.” Anyone who mourns Epstein’s death is a fool. But more tragic is how the American
triggered change in the prison system – the removal of prison warden and consequences for his prison guards. And we know that had he been Brown or Black, like Jiminez-Joseph, his death would have been swept under the rug and chalked up as one more statistic. We have the death of one white pedophile,
Associate Editor Nigeria & West Africa Chief Folarin Ero-Phillips
Content & Production Coordinator Sunny Thongthi Yang
and suddenly the prison system is under scrutiny. I am not a death monger, but anyone who exploited innocence for his own sexual
So, explain to me in plain English how the death of a convicted pedophile and sex trafficker like Jeffrey Epstein can bring about administrative prison reform whereas the deaths of Brown and Black people, convicted of far lesser crimes, hit a stone wall?
Managing Editor Harry Colbert, Jr. Culture and Education Editor Dr. Irma McClaurin
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or minor criminals? Let’s admit it, in the current climate of American and global anti-Blackness, Brown and Black lives just don’t matter to the same degree as whites. Tragic, but true. But such is the ongoing contradiction of America, and increasingly the rest of the world. Shame on the American justice system. And under the current presidential leadership that promotes white supremacy, there are no signs of things getting any better in the near future. So, my advice is that as Brown and Black people, we must all move and live cautiously in this current climate. It’s is essential if we are to protect our own lives. Right now, there is no justice for us as Brown and Black people in America and also globally – there is “just us” trying to survive under racism and white supremacy. (C)2019 Irma McClaurin Solutions Dr. Irma McClaurin is the Culture and Education editor for Insight News, an award-winning writer, anthropologist, and consultant.
within four hours and six minutes. But again, I didn’t pick up the bullet until after the supposed response. I say supposed because I didn’t leave the premises during said time, several others were also inside the premises, as I said earlier, I left the full address and my cell phone number as a contact. Somehow a trained officer couldn’t find a street address? Oh, and remember that whole hazard sign? He, she or they missed that too? Really? Hum. Um, OK. I can also verify I did not receive any call at or around 4:02 p.m. on Aug. 26. Again, I’m a journalist, so I’m trained to be a bit of a skeptic. I asked Elder for at report from the supposed responding officer(s) and he replied, “No report was generated.” I hate to sound like the Church Lady from “Saturday Night Live,” but, “Well, isn’t that convenient.” I then sent a followup request for the audio from my call to dispatch. I just want to verify for myself that I provided the proper address and phone number. I’m awaiting response. My trauma and anger stem from multiple sources. The first source of trauma is knowing that something happened outside of my place of employment that left a bullet and shattered glass in its aftermath. In three years, I’ve experienced two shootings on the block and a block away I witnessed a man take his last breath after being shot … an image that will haunt me for eternity. I’m traumatized to the point that I hear hammering and I instinctively think gunshots. My anger comes from the fact that police claim time and again they don’t have cooperation from the residents in North Minneapolis, yet when I … a concerned resident of North Minneapolis … do everything asked of me as a responsible citizen the response is … well, no response. Or, as they claim, a four hour and six minute late response. And yet, here I sit staring at a bullet on my desk.
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Insight News • September 2, 2019 - September 8, 2019 • Page 7
Patty Peterson Presents: Jazz Women AllStars
The Accidentals
SEP 28
SEP 29
Lee Ritenour
Billy Cobham Crosswinds Project
w/special guest Rachel Baiman
Contemporary Jazz-Rock Resilient Superstar
feat. Randy Brecker
SEP 30
Tim Davis
All-star centers Sylvia Fowles (left) and Liz Cambage reach for the opening tip Aug. 25 at the Target Center.
Tim Davis
Lynx’ Napheesa Collier (left) rises above Chicago’s Diamond DeShields during the Aug. 27 WNBA contest at the Target Center.
Lynx win at home to secure ninth straight playoff birth For the ninth straight year the Minnesota Lynx are in the playoffs. The team secured a playoff birth on Aug. 27 with a 93-85 home victory over the Chicago Sky. Six-time allstar center, Sylvia Fowles led the way for the Lynx with a season-high 25 points and 12 rebounds, while all-star guard Odyssey Sims scored 23 points to go with eight assists and rookie all-star, Napheesa Collier chipped in with 19 points, seven rebounds, four assists,
two steals and two blocks. The Aug. 27 win was the team’s third in a row – all at home – including a convincing 98-77 triumph over the vaunted Las Vegas Aces. In that Aug. 25 contest Collier dropped 23 points to go with four assists and three blocks, bolstering her bid for Rookie of the Year. For the four-time WNBA champion Lynx, this playoff birth may be the most impressive. With the retirement of future Hall of Famer Lyndsay Whalen, one of the game’s best,
Maya Moore taking a year sabbatical and future Hall of Famer and seven-time all-star Seimone Augustus limited to just nine games due to injury, head coach Cheryl Reeve has retooled the squad relying on Fowles, Sims, Collier and a myriad of role players including former Duke star Lexie Brown to grind out a playoff birth. The Lynx close-out the regular season on the road with games Sept. 6 at Phoenix and Sept. 8 at Los Angeles.
OCT 1
Aaron Neville Duo Evening With An American Master
OCT 6-7
Paula Cole
John Pizzarelli
OCT 8
OCT 14
An Evening Inspired by “Crowns” The
Gospel Musical
Fred Hersch & Julian Lage
feat. Jamecia Bennett, Thomasina Petrus, T. Mychael Rambo
Elegance & Mastery
OCT 15
OCT 16
New Orleans Suspects
Jon McLaughlin
NOLA Funk & Bayou Bluesr
”Me & My Piano” Tour w/special guest Sawyer
OCT 17
OCT 18
Poetic & Heartfelt Pop
”For Centennial Reasons: 100 Year Salute to Nat King Cole” Album Release
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612-455-1100 Five Twin Cities locations to serve you or visit us online at nabankco.com
Page 8 • September 2, 2019 - September 8, 2019 • Insight News
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Aesthetics
Photo by Andrey Petrov
The acrobatic and rhythmic sights and sounds of “Circus Abyssinia: Ethiopian Dreams” are coming to the Children’s Theatre Company Sept. 17 – Oct. 20.
‘Circus Abyssinia: Ethiopian Dreams’ “Circus Abyssinia: Ethiopian Dreams,” is coming to the Children’s Theatre Company (CTC). This new circus was created by brothers Bibi and Bichu Tesfamariam in 2017, who have been circus performers for more than two decades. Recently, they were performers in Disney’s live-action remake of “Dumbo” as members of the Medici Brothers Circus. “Circus Abyssinia,” which runs Sept. 17 through Oct. 20, has been touring worldwide since it baegan; including the touring in the U.K., New York, Japan, France, Hungary, Australia and Abu Dhabi. The show delves into the rhythms and roots of Ethiopia’s rich musical and artistic traditions to weave its story through death-defying tricks, and feats of juggling, joking and contortion – all performed to the beats of modern Ethiopian popular music. “One of the things I love most about theatre is re-imagining what theatre means, especially on our own stage,” said CTC artistic director, Peter Brosius. “And while the Twin Cities is a large hub for circus training and performance, ‘Circus Abyssinia’ will be the very first circus piece to play on our stage. What I loved most when I saw this piece at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe was the pure joy, virtuosity, and expression by these acrobats. Their incredible skill and heroic acts are both extraordinary and deeply human, and we know will leave anyone who sees them in awe.” “We’re over the moon to be bringing ‘Circus Abyssinia’ to the CTC,” said performer/director Binyam “Bichu” Tesfamariam. “It’s going to be an absolute privilege to perform at such an extraordinary theatre, one so perfect for kids and their families. And we can’t wait to come to the brilliant city of Minneapolis.”
Photo by Andrew Rees